if only there was MORE
PRODUCTION:was STELLAR. i loved how everything looked, how everything was shot, how everything sounded. a couple of odd camera angels here and there were off. but this one of my favorite music in bls - the ost is something i have had on repeat and i love it. i kinda wish there was a movie version so i could use that to rewatch rather than the whole series tho...
STORY:
is it kinda bare? a little. i wish we had ONE more episode because the pacing kinda goes a little too fast at the end. and the timeline can be a little messy. it seems like they were together for maybe a day when they had their conflict with jae yoon ignoring ho joon - but then we get a flashback scene where they are super domestic? its a little confusing. if they had just one more episode to establish the relationship i would've appreciated it. but the dialogue is beautiful especially in the makeup scene that was so poetic omg.
CHARACTERS / ACTING:
jae yoon (yoon seobin) was such a joy - compared to his role on kissable lips he has so much more to work with. he was funny and delightful - but he still had this innocence around him that was very cute. his drunk scenes were my favorite and i love his snarkiness and how he was eventually able to stick up for himself. he was absolutely my favorite.
ho joon (kim jiwoong) was stellar as well. this rich boy role was so fun for him. and i cried when he cried 😢 - his character progression was so wonderful i enjoyed every second. plus - again the makeup scene was so great.
if you thought like i did that the only thing even remotely good about kissable lips was the chemistry between seobin and jiwoong then this series turns that up by 11. the enemies->lovers was so much fun and im usually not the biggest fan of those storylines. the domestically with them is so sweet and adorable. they were like high school sweethearts almost. and the ending scene??? oof omg why did they cut out most of that?? they were just amazing together on and off screen they have wonderful chemistry. i want them to work together again in the future SO badly. they are one of my favorite duos for sure.
overall i love this series - i had a few pacing issues but im for sure going to be picking up this series again. and consider if you like kim jiwoong to support him on boys planet!!
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Several tropes rolled into 1 rather formulaic show
Roommates of Poongduck 304 features several classic tropes rolled in one. Rich man meets poor man, rich man annoys poor man, they fall in love. Roommates turned lovers. An office romance involving a boss and his subordinate.South Korean Bls often suffer from terrible pacing and at times, poorly-executed edits and transitions. ROP304 is situated slightly above the 50th percentile for South Korean BLs, but overall failed to mesmerise me in the first few episodes. Their chemistry only improves exponentially after they start dating (seriously prepare yourself for sticky sweet love-drunk moments), but I wish this came through earlier.
The conflict was an interesting and somewhat meaningful one – it explores the strain that is placed on the love interest of public figures. Sadly, few BLs have been able to explore the tensions in a way that is comprehensive and meaningful - ROP304 was no exception.
My full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/02/19/roommates-of-poongduck-304-bl/
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This review may contain spoilers
"Just don't make me a fool like this."
This show was okay, I don't know, I feel like it wasn't really anything special. IT DID HAVE KIM JI WOONG IN IT, THOUGH, YAY MY MAN. Anyway, I would give it an 8 (8.25) out of 10. I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then do an episode overview. Let's get into it.Um, they have good chemistry, and it was good in this as well. Kim Ji Woong is one of the top 10 sexiest men to walk this planet, and he was even sexier in this. Also, he had like a couple of scenes where he got all shy, those were to die for, and oh my god, I thought he couldn't get any hotter AND THEN HE DID. I am dead. The start was good, and I like how they connected the first episode; that was nice. For some reason, I liked the relationship between him and his dad, like it was just really cute, and I know he was low-key hitting him, but the way he talks about his son, it is clear he loves him a lot, and that was really cute. NYUUUU MENTIONEDDDD. The other guy, whose name I don't know in the show or in real life, was growing on me so much in this. He has such sexy eyes, and the way he was holding himself in some of the scenes had me wet all over because who are you looking at with those gorgeous eyes, daddy? That is all I liked, I fear.
The plot was kind of boring, and I think it was just set up to be that way. I don't know, they had a good romance building at the start, and then it just kind of went out the window into this weird plot that was interesting, but if you are going to have romance as the main plot, you lowkey need to focus on that as the main one and have whichever other one as the back burner. THE OFFICE PLOT WAS JUST SO BORING, AND I REALLY DO NOT GIVE TWO FLYING FUCKS ABOUT WHO YALL NEED TO CONTACT TO MAKE THE ACTING THING WORK, I DO NOT FUCKING CAREEEE. Some parts I would rather pay attention to in class than watch this shit. We brought up a lot of plotlines at the start, which we just forgot about, and that was annoying. Irrelevant side characters that serve no purpose besides ruining our main couple and taking up their screen time. "I WANNA SEE YALL FLIRT, GO ON DATES, BONE, I DO NOT GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT THIS STUPID BITCH ASS COMPANY." Thank you to me 17 hours ago in episode 5. You took the words right out of my mouth. They had bad romance building, I think I already said that, but till the very end, even when they got together after they had been ripped apart, it just felt weird. I feel like we didn't really know each other at that point, despite being together twenty four seven three six five. I felt like their relationship was just kind of empty, and I think that was in part due to the romance building, and also just how they worked the plot out. I wish they played more into the guy who isn't Kim Ji Woong's character. Of course, they did with the second friend, but I feel like we swept under the rug how the first friend scammed him, like that should have been a bigger part of his personality, a waste of good potential, I fear. Yeah, around episode 7, the plot fucking folds in on itself, and I just lost the plot from the start of the show, I can't lie. Like, only the structure was left, none of the plot, if you are picking up what I am laying down. I am indifferent about the ending, but it was bad, because they were just having bullshit fucking issues, I swear to god. Yeah, that is it for all of the stuff I didn't like.
Okay, episode overview time. "Is it bad that I am already bored lmao? YALL SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH HIM BEING IN DEBTTTT." They forgot about this plotline, I fear. "Good start, and I like how it connected from the start to the end. They love to do that. I am a little confused, but that's my own fault for not reading the description." "They are trying to make bro seem like he's crazy, but I need good water pressure and no roaches too lmao. AND I WOULD SHAKE SOMEONE DOWN OVER 215 BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK? RUN ME MY FUCKING MONEY. I thought they took all his cars." Once again with plot holes. "I am sure that he and that guy were friends at one point, but it seems he is being taken advantage of now, and he is lowkey a pushover." "This show is a little boring, I can't lie. IGNORING THE FACT HE LITERALLY DOMED HIS FUCKING BOSS AND KNOCKED HIM OUT. I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE MORE BAD. We're doing some bonding." "I am so interested now and idk. KIM JI WOONG WAS RIGHT, MY FUCKING GOAT. BRO GOT CAUGHT AND IS STILL DOUBLING DOWN. BRUHHH. Uh cool. They had an awkward ass kiss." "Kind lost the starting point of this show. SHY KIM JI WOONG HAS ME DEADDDD. Fuck these two can't catch a break, like just be cute, fuck." "BS issue, I swear to god. I'm indifferent about the ending; it's just like what? We could have done so much more, and we just didnt."
I didn't like this one, but I have a friend who thinks this show is her holy grail, so I think watch it if you want, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you are going on my review, don't watch it, it just feels like a waste of time that doesn't have enough cute moments to warrant just watching it for that. Okay bye!
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Adicction
I personally LOVE this boylove drama. I watched Kissable Lips before and was so excited after I get to know, these two would be in another bl. It’s absolutely amazing. I loved the whole story and all the details. They did amazing!!!The story is never getting bored and I literally watched it at one day. I know I‘m gonna rewatch this soon and hoping for another kdrama of these two.
Love ittt
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Cute, adorable and simple
I was a bit scared starting a Korean bl, since I'm used to Chinese censorship, I was scared that Korea might also sensor bl's, but surprisingly not!! (thx Korea)But I LOVEDDD the title, it sounded cute, interesting and I always like neighbourish romances. I definitely didn't expect being soo into this drama! It was slow, cute and just adorable. I was scared that they might have a more bromance relationship but I find it so cute how they also shared small kisses etc.
Definitely not what I expected! Really recommended for newer bl watchers, since it isn't long or extremely fast, this bl took me back to when I started watching bl's (2019). The story is simple to understand, easy and also some funny things in there, not just serious drama.
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Choux
C'était cute, cliché et simple, mais drôle et surtout l'alchimie entre les leads incroyable. C'est la première fois depuis Semantic Error que je sens une telle tension, sensualité, affection, exprimée de façon aussi crédible dans un BL coréen. Du coup, c'est ce qui m'a fait passer un bon moment et apprécier le couple. On voit qu'ils ont déjà joué dans un bl ensemble avant et sont donc habitués à l'autre et à l'intimité avec lui. Là où d'autres ont l'air de se forcer à se toucher dans des bls, ici c'était aussi crédible et naturel que dans d'autres dramas hétéros (enfin ceux avec de l'alchimie évidemment)Was this review helpful to you?
Very likeable KBL story with some great moments
OK so this was a very very good series with a lot of great high-quality moments. I was disappointed with the ending. I thought the breakup and reconciliation was weak. It could have been a lot better. The resignation and the start of the new business to get out from underneath the dad was a great idea but it also could have been stronger and developed better rather than being a got-Ya surprise at the end. I really loved Ji Ho's character. I think Kim did a great job. Sao Jae I found to be sometimes weak in character when he could have been stronger or more sly. Maybe I want to just say that Sao character was inconsistent for me. I gave it a 9 MDL has it at a 7.9 which is too low in my opinion.Was this review helpful to you?
it's okay
well although it is interesting i feel like they could have done more i this kdram honestly i would like more screen time seeing the main couple they do kinda have chemistry between them but they should have added more couple screen time. Not only that they should have made the episode like an hour long or made more episodes like seriously only 8 episodes which is barely even half an hour episode. if you are gonna make a kdram especially LGBTQ then still give the long episode. i wish they made it longer.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
if it aint broken dont fix it
I love office romances and I like that this BL used the age-old tropes of boss/employee+enemies-to-lovers (although that was a bit shortlived) and forced proximity/cohabitation.I think they could've exaggerated the headbutting a bit more when cohabitating and have it mix a bit with work life because for me, the characters acted to cleanly and too well-behaved. Overall I didnt have that many complaints about the story or the pacing considering the amounts of episodes!
I liked the music although sometimes it felt a little bit loud.
The ensemble cast was also fun to watch and the male leads were handsome and had pretty good chemistry!
One big minus point for me though was the big confession scene and backstory reveal in the final episode. The dialogue felt lame, stiff and not realistic. It didn't properly convey the emotions of the characters and the whole drama of SJY finding out the true identity of JHJ ended with a bellyflop instead of a magnificent dive into the inner turmoil of the characters :/
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Korean drama "BL" is nice and not complicated
Personal Review – A Light and Enjoyable BL Korean Drama
This BL Korean drama is simple, light-hearted, and enjoyable to watch. The episodes move quickly and never feel boring. It's more of a comedy than a romantic story, which makes it easy to follow and relaxing for the viewer.
The actors’ performances are decent, but it felt like they didn’t fully immerse themselves in their roles. Maybe the characters weren't particularly meaningful to them, so they just played them without much emotional depth. I also sensed a lack of chemistry between the leads, especially during the kissing scenes. It felt as though they were uncomfortable or not genuinely drawn to this kind of relationship, which created a sense of distance between them.
There are also a few flaws—some details were overlooked during filming, and certain plot points felt incomplete or underdeveloped. The story itself isn’t strong in every aspect; it includes some ideas that were introduced but never fully explored.
Do I recommend it?
It’s not an outstanding drama, but it’s not bad either. If you're looking for a relaxing and fun BL Korean drama that avoids explicit content, this is a good choice. What stood out to me the most were the music, the cinematography, and some of the action sequences—they added charm and visual appeal to the overall experience.
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Will have you grinning!
For a short drama already, I felt like this drama was almost a slow burn? It really built well to them getting together later in the series and I enjoyed that a lot. This drama made me cackle and smile so hard, it was 85% romance and humor and cuteness with a dash of angst--which is a good balance for a short drama. There was one part where I felt like it was resolved a bit TOO easy but I'm ultimately fine with it.The cliché tropes felt fun thanks to the chemistry of the two leads and it was just an overall good time. Definitely a fun one to watch if you're into the romcom genre!
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This review may contain spoilers
A cute and simple office romance story
Recently we have a lot of BL series focused on office romance and it’s a good switch from the usual high school or university romance. That being said, do we get to see anything different in this series that has not been done before? Sadly, No!The series is about Ji Ho Jun, a philanderer son of a successful businessman who gets an ultimatum from his father to straighten up and work in a low paying job at his company and turn a marketing team profitable in 2 years. To this end, he loses all privileges like expensive cars and a villa. During his search for a residence, he meets Seo Jae Yoon, a landlord and also an employee in his company. They start on a wrong foot, always bickering to working closely on a project, silently acknowledging each other’s talent and falling in love.
What we have here are 2 tropes intertwined for comedic effect. We have the enemy to lovers and boss and employee relationship. I enjoyed the switch in roles between the 2 characters while at work and while at home. They tend to boss each other around but are passionate about their work and achieving the goal as a team. You also see the slow development of feelings between the 2 characters. Although I didn’t much enjoy the plot of Ho Jun trying to hide his identity and that being the point of contention. Their break up seemed unwarranted and could not have come up if Jae Yoon would have acted more maturely and spoken to Ho Jun. But this plot had to happen in order to show some drama because 2 people can’t just be happy in a relationship without there being a cause for a rift.
This is the second BL in a row I watched where the confessions are a result of a night out drinking only to be forgotten the next day. Are the writers bored or out of ideas for a long passionate confession. Hell, I would give them points if they blurt out their true feelings in the midst of a verbal fight. Don’t give me a confession made while drunk only to then have the character slump and lose consciousness. There are no possibilities of showing emotion between the 2 characters anymore as we have one unconscious person and the other just holding him and putting him to bed and next day, pfft! No recollection of the night before and now they start with the whole process once again.
The couple in this series starred previously in Kissable Lips and they had no chemistry there and could hardly act. I was glad to see that change in this series. The acting was at par and we could see a hint of chemistry between the 2 characters. Hence this wasn’t a complete disaster.
In conclusion, the story could have been better without the unnecessary breakup or could have found a different reason like Jae Yoon thinking that he was used by Ho Jun to get everything back from his father and everything was a lie including this relationship just so that he had a comfortable life while proving his worth.
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